Sever's Disease


Do you recall suffering frequent heel pain as a child? If you do, that’s not unusual; children’s bones haven’t fully fused together, and they are more vulnerable to overuse injuries than adults. However, nobody likes seeing their child in pain, and if a child frequently suffers from sore heels, there may be a biomechanical issue at play. At Mercer-Ocean Podiatry, we assist patients of all ages, so we thought it would be a good idea to explain Sever’s Disease, a common source of childhood foot problems, in more detail.




Sever’s disease, or calcaneal apophysitis, is inflammation of the growth plate connecting the back of the heel bone to the bone’s main body. The back of the heel bone is where the Achilles tendon, one of the strongest tendons in the body, attaches. When the calf muscles or the tendon itself are tight, the tendon will pull the heel up and backwards, causing soreness in the soft growth plate. The calf muscles are likely to tighten up after a person has been running and jumping, and children are at greater risk of developing heel pain if they wear flat shoes or are overweight.




Treating Sever’s disease rarely requires extensive intervention. Instead, children will simply reduce their activity for a few days, and will need to be more careful to warm up in the future before engaging in exercise. However, if a child’s Achilles tendon is especially tight, they may require a more therapeutic stretching regimen. Many children also benefit from shoe inserts that cushion the heels, and parents should make sure their child’s shoes fit properly and provide sufficient support. Sever’s disease will not recur once the growth plate naturally solidifies.


Dr. Frank Killian and Dr. Sameep Chandrani run Mercer-Ocean Podiatry. For the location at 2103 Whitehorse Mercerville Road, Hamilton Township, New Jersey, 08619, call 609-585-3200. For the location at 202 Rte 37 W, Suite 4, Toms River, New Jersey, 08755, call 732-557-4266. For the location at 666 Plainsboro Rd Suite 1050, Plainsboro New Jersey, 08536, call 609-269-5800. Visit New Jersey Foot.




 

Comments

  1. Allen JhonSeptember 19, 2021 at 10:26 PM

    Amazing post, Every parent wants their children to be healthy always. In the previous month when my 13 years old son complaining about his feet pain, then I found an online store called "KidSole". I bought some Severs Disease Shoe Insole from them and today after one month my son feels very comfortable in his shoes. It's a miracle to me. I think you should use their products once.

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